Earth and Space Science GSE's for Grade 9

ESS1 - The earth and earth materials as we know them today have developed over long periods of time, through continual change processes.
  • ESS1 (9-11) INQ+POC– 1 Provided with geologic data (including movement of plates) on a given locale, predict the likelihood for an earth event (e.g., volcanoes, mountain ranges, islands, earthquakes).
    • ESS1 (9-11)– 1 Students demonstrate an understanding of processes and change over time within earth systems by …
      • 1a. plotting the location of mountain ranges and recent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions to identify any existing patterns
  • · ESS1 (9-11) NOS–2 Trace the development of the theory of plate tectonics or provide supporting geologic/geographic evidence that supports the validity of the theory of plate tectonics.
    • ESS1 (9-11)–2 Students demonstrate an understanding of processes and change over time within earth systems by …
      • 2a using given data (diagrams, charts, narratives, etc.) and advances in technology to explain how scientific knowledge regarding plate tectonics has changed over time.
  • ESS1 (9-11) SAE+ POC–3 Explain how internal and external sources of heat (energy) fuel geologic processes (e.g., rock cycle, plate tectonics, sea floor spreading).
    • ESS1 (9-11)–3 Students demonstrate an understanding of processes and change over time within earth systems by …
      • 3a explaining how heat (produced by friction, radioactive decay and pressure) affects the Rock Cycle.
      • 3b explaining how convection circulations of the mantle initiate the movement of the crustal plates which then cause plate movement and seismic activity
      • 3c investigating and using evidence to explain that conservation in the amount of earth materials occurs during the Rock Cycle.
      • 3d explaining how the physical and chemical processes of the Earth alter the crust (e.g. seafloor spreading, hydrologic cycle, weathering, element cycling)

Unpacking the Standards


ESS1-1a.plotting the location of mountain ranges and recent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions to identify any existing patterns
  1. Previous Understanding- plate movements and their potential impact, map reading and making, what volcanoes and earthquakes are
  2. Possible Misconceptions- that earthquakes and volcanoes only occur at plate boundaries
  3. Learning Performance- students will represent and interpret data by building maps of plate boundaries and types, along with earthquake and volcanic activity to show their relationships if any to each other

ESS1-2a.using given data (diagrams, charts, narratives, etc.) and advances in technology to explain how scientific knowledge regarding plate tectonics has changed over time.
  1. Previous Understanding- earths layers, what plate tectonics is, how plates move and their effects due to movement
  2. Possible Misconceptions- that the continents were always places as they are now, that earths surface does not move or change
  3. Learning Performance- students will build their concept of Pangaea and give and evidence based explanation for their construction

ESS1-3a.explaining how heat (produced by friction, radioactive decay and pressure) affects the Rock Cycle
  1. Previous Understanding- what a rock is and the three main types of rock, how each type of rock is formed
  2. Possible Misconceptions- once a rock is created it does not change, rocks can only be broken down not melted or weathered away
  3. Learning Performance- students produce and example of the rock cycle which they will defend their reasoning of to the class

ESS1-3b.explaining how convection circulations of the mantle initiate the movement of the crustal plates which then cause plate movement and seismic activity
  1. Previous Understanding- the layers of the earth and their compositions, that plates move, hot air/currents rise while cold fall
  2. Possible Misconceptions- that hot and cold things do not move but just transfer heat back and forth, that the earth is solid
  3. Learning Performance- students will apply this to aid in the explanation of earthquakes, especially those that do not occur at plate boundaries

ESS1-3c.investigating and using evidence to explain that conservation in the amount of earth materials occurs during the Rock Cycle
  1. Previous Understanding-the types of rock and how they are formed, familiarity with the rock cycle
  2. Possible Misconceptions- that rock is created and destroyed during the rock cycle
  3. Learning Performances- students will defend their representation of the rock cycle and how it works to the class

ESS1-3d.explaining how the physical and chemical processes of the Earth alter the crust (e.g. seafloor spreading, hydrologic cycle, weathering, element cycling)
  1. Previous Understanding- earths layers, how the crust is changed through various processes such as subduction, sea-floor spread, and plate collisions
  2. Possible Misconceptions- that the crust is stationary and never changes, that plats move but do not intereact/effect each other, that the crust is all the same
  3. Learning Performances- represent data on a wold map of how plate boundaries interact with one another, answer questions on how the earths crust is altered through plate movements


Unit Plan Page